Honey Bees Naturally Vaccinate Their Young

Another study that proves humans are not as unique in their intelligence as we thought they were. An abundance of recent studies have shown how chimpanzees share people’s enjoyment of cooked food and alcohol, and now is the bees’ turn to prove that we’re not all that different.

A new study conducted by an international team of researchers from Arizona State University, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, the University of Helsinki and the University of Jyväskylä, has revealed that bees naturally immunize their young babies against any and all diseases that can be found in their specific environment.

For their study, the researchers looked at a bee blood protein known as “vitellogenin” and noticed that it plays a critical, albeit previously unknown part in protecting baby bees against the specific diseases that they’re surrounded by.